Starting a New Life
by Wilhelmina Vandom
Summary: Tired of rejection and not fitting in Paige runs away from her sisters in a last attempt to make a life for herself. When a new threat forces her new friends and her sisters together will Paige be pushed over the edge or will finally learn what it means t
1. Chapter 1

Starting a New Life

By Demoness Paige

This takes place just after the Wizard tried to get the Source's power from Cole only in this he succeeded and Cole is now human and the Wizard was vanquished just as he absorbed his powers leaving the underworld in a power struggle. Paige has just turned eighteen though while the others are normal ages and runs away feeling as if she doesn't belong. The Buffy verse I'm drawing from memory and since it's been so long since I've seen it it will be changed a lot but will mostly follow the last season they were in high school with some changes.

Paige sighed sadly as she leaned her forehead against the chilly window watching the blurring scenery as the bus sped along the dark highway, the sun having set long ago. She was doing something that she never wanted to do again but she couldn't take the pain anymore. It was hard enough trying to fit in with a family who didn't give a damn about her but ever since being taken over by a vampire a few days earlier Piper and Phoebe have grown increasingly more harsh and distant. After all the stories she had heard of them being changed into demons they would know how it felt and want to support her but they didn't, no one ever did.

She couldn't help a few tears from freeing themselves as she watched out the window never really noticing anything. Her life wasn't worth anything, never was, but for a short time she actually believed that she had found a place where she belonged. She had a true family, not some foster home or another who treated her as if she didn't matter. She learned better though, to her family she didn't matter and maybe, just maybe they were right. Maybe she was useless and in everyone's way.

She saw the sign welcoming to her new home, Sunnydale where she decided to run away to. She was going to go to the high school here and wasn't worried about any questions. Since the Matthews died last year she was made an emancipated minor since she was so old and it wasn't likely they would find a place for her. The Matthews had left everything behind to her so she wasn't in any need of money as long as she was careful with what they left.

She had to admit, the short time she had spent with the elderly couple she may not have fit in but it was one of the few times she felt truly loved. Despite the way the treated her at times she knew they only did it because they was trying to push her to better herself, to bring herself back from the abyss her life had become. Sadly it took the car crash to make her realize what she had lost to make herself straighten out her life.

As the bus stopped at the station Paige took a deep breath and grabbed her duffel bag, her only luggage and the only things she packed to bring. Everything else she bought or got when she was reunited with Piper and Phoebe and didn't want the reminders or the pain of her past. She was giving herself this last chance to make a life and if she failed then her life wouldn't be worth living. She refused to go through any more pain.

Stepping off the bus along with the rest of the passengers Paige walked into her new world, her new home. She had enough money to get a cheap apartment, a very cheap one and support herself for a long time but she wanted to get a part time job to make it easier. First though, she needed a place to sleep for the night and she didn't know her way through this new city.

"Well, only one way to learn." Paige said sadly as she walked slowly away from the group of people into the poorly lit streets which caused a chill to run down her back. She knew that there were things that go bump in the night, despite only just turning eighteen she was one of the ones who bumped back. It was hard to do with school and everything but she had managed to do it and still the two people she relied on the most, the two most important people in her life was never proud of it, of her accomplishments. The were never proud they, they didn't even love her, not once had the ever said they did.

Refusing to dwell on the pain of her past she turned down an alley hopefully cutting across to the next street where she could make out more lights which hopefully meant the main strip in town and hopefully a hotel for the night. As soon as she made it halfway through the alley a large man came out of the shadows startling her.

"Who are you?" Paige asked, her voice shaking a little. It wasn't that she didn't have confidence in herself but if it was a high level demon she could have problems. And if it was a normal human, she didn't want to hurt them, she hurt enough people already as it was. Hopefully if it was a normal person they would be harmless.

"Hey there cutie, isn't past your bedtime?" The man asked staring intently at Paige unsettling her a little. There was something about this man that was scaring her, something she didn't want to face. Turning to run back the way she came she slammed into another large guy.

"Hey sweets, what's the rush?" The guy asked wrapping his arms around her tightly not letting her get away. Looking up into his dimly lit face she saw his eyes harden and his face change, ridges forming on his forehead. He was different from other ones but she knew instinctively what he was though it surprised her, she thought they all died with the queen. She couldn't help letting out a cry of surprise and alarm as she struggled trying to get away. She'd orb but she knew if she did he'd only orb with her with him holding her like this.

"Why do you even bother?" A voice asked just before the thing holding Paige exploded into dust. In it's place stood a blonde haired girl about her age.

"Slayer!" The first guy snarled hitting the girl knocking her across the alley into the wall opposite them making her drop the wooden stake. Paige reached out concentrating on the wooden spike.

"Stake!" Paige called as blue orbs surrounded the stake. Throwing out her hand she directed the stake towards the vampire sending it straight through it's chest making him blow up in a cloud of ashes.

"What are you?" The blonde demanded climbing to her feet, tensing ready to defend or attack.

"Wh-What?" Paige asked nervously, she didn't want it to be like this. She didn't want to show everyone that she was a witch, she wanted to fit in and not be an outcasts again. Giving up Paige orbed from the alley in tears.


	2. Chapter 2

Starting a New Life

By Demoness Paige

Thanks for all of your reviews. I'm not sure if to make this a Paige/Willow or Paige/Xander story so what's all of your thoughts?

"So what is she?" Buffy demanded for the tenth time that morning as she paced in the school library while Willow and Giles went over the books doing research and trying to find out any information on the girl she ran into last night.

"I was right." Giles said looking up from the book he was flipping through, "I knew I heard the description you gave me before, it sounds like this girl is a whitelighter."

"Is that some big bad?" Xander asked walking into the library.

"Actually no, more like a big good." Giles said cleaning his glasses, "A whitelighter is like a guardian angel for good witches."

"So there shouldn't be anything to worry about." Buffy sighed in relief.

"I'm not so sure about that." Giles said putting his glasses back on, "Whitelighters usually steer clear of hellmouths like Sunnydale as the dark energies can usually have adverse affects on them. For a whitelighter to be here there must be something important going on."

"So we should confront her?" Willow asked closing her book and pushing it away.

"No, whitelighters have methods to erase people's memories…If they realize that we know about them they might use it on us and it could be dangerous. If they erase enough of our memories we might forget about the ascension or something else and a lot of people could get hurt."

"So these whitelighters are some kind of secretive freaks?" Buffy asked a little upset. Whatever was going on could pose problems for them that they didn't need during this whole ascension thing. "The ascension!"

"Of course." Giles smiled, "The whitelighters may be here to help stop it."

"So let's ask." Xander said.

"No, for now let's just watch her." Giles said rubbing his forehead. "So what did she look like again Buffy?"

oOoOo

Willow sighed as she walked into her first class, there was so much going on with her just trying to get over Oz. Now they have to deal with some megalomaniac demon with his damned ascension. Now this new problem with this whitelighter and whatever problems she brought with her. She hated herself for thinking this but lately she had been wondering what it would have been like if Buffy never came there. Would they have had a normal life instead of all this heartache and pain?

"Hi." A girl next to Willow's desk said as Willow sat down.

"Hi." Willow said looking over at the girl, someone she had never seen before. She had beautiful red hair kind of like her own, pale skin and the most beautiful expressive eyes. Unfortunately those eyes held so much sadness and pain, a loneliness that called out to her.

"My name's Paige." Paige said blushing a little and turning her head a little.

"Sorry," Willow said when she realized she was staring at this girl. Why on earth was she feeling this way toward another girl, she was straight and only dated guys so why was she attracted to this strange new girl. She was into boys not girls, she wasn't gay. "My name is Willow."

"Are you okay?" Paige asked a little worriedly.

"Y-Yeah." Willow giggled nervously, "Sorry about spacing out there, are you new here?"

"Just transferred from San Francisco." Paige said before flinching. Why would she flinch like that, it was like she didn't want to tell Willow. Why would she want to hide where she came from unless trouble was following her. Could she be this whitelighter? But why or how could she be coming to school if she wasn't human? She would need birth records and school records from her previous school. From what Giles said a whitelighter could erase memories not alter them.

"Cool." Willow said, "If you want I could show you around school and after maybe show you around town."

"That would be great." Paige said, "I still don't know my way around."

"There's this great dance club called the Bronze, all my friends and me hang out there in the evenings." Willow said, "Just don't go out after dark by yourself, it can be dangerous around here."

"Great…just great." Paige mumbled under her breath.


End file.
